The survey found that 35 percent of companies have had a drop in participation, while 14 percent had an increase.

Along with a shift employers have made from pensions to 401(k) plans, 20 percent of employers have lowered contributions to their 401(k) plans, according to the survey.

Of the survey respondents, 35 percent automatically enroll their employees in their 401(k) plans. A financial adviser is offered by 40 percent of plans, while 33 percent of plans provide no education to employees about the plans.

Of the plans that allow employees to take a loan against their account, 30 percent had an increase in the amount of loans this year.

The plans are reviewed by 63 percent of companies annually or less frequently than annually. Thirty percent of respondents said they will be making changes in the next year, with the biggest changes to be made in investment monitoring and plan design and setup.

Margaret O’Meara, company president, said while there has been an increase in the number of employees making early withdrawals from their plans, the increase hasn’t been as great as her company expected. These early withdrawals trigger taxes and fees that can reach 50 percent of their value, she said.

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NJBIZ will cover the event live on Twitter at 8 p.m. Readers can follow the coverage at twitter.com/njbiz .

The event also will be broadcast by debate host NJN.

Both Quinnipiac and Monmouth universities released polls this week showing the margin between Republican Chris Christie and incumbent Democrat Jon S. Corzine has shrunk.

The Quinnipiac poll, released Wednesday, found Christie leading 43 percent to 39 percent, with independent Chris Daggett at 12 percent. Christie’s margin had shrunk from a 10 percentage-point lead on Sept. 1.

The Monmouth poll, released Thursday, found Christie leading among likely voters, with 43 percent. Corzine polled at 40 percent, while Daggett received 8 percent. Christie had been leading by 8 percentage points in the September Monmouth poll and 14 percentage points in the poll released in August.

Thursday night’s debate will be moderated by NJN anchor Jim Hooker and will include questions from NJN, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Gannett New Jersey.

The next debate will be the Oct. 8 lieutenant governor debate, with Republican Kim Guadagno, Democrat Loretta Weinberg and independent Frank Esposito. NJBIZ is part of a coalition of sponsors of that debate.

E-mail Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njbiz.com

The takeaway: Business is great if you own a collections company, but things are slow for everyone else.

“We’re going gangbusters,” said Robert L. Saldutti, a Cherry Hill-based attorney with a debt collection agency, who spoke at the event. “There’s a sense of urgency from equipment lease companies, bail bondsmen and other kinds of firms. Instead of waiting a long time to collect from slow-paying clients, companies are coming to firms like ours quicker in an effort to get their money.”

For the rest, a recovery isn’t likely before summer 2010, according to William Dunkelberg, chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, who moderated the morning panel discussion involving a banker, a CPA, a supermarket chain operator and others.

“The economy had a big party in the 1990s, but right now the only good news is when there’s less bad news,” he said. “Currently, NFIB small-business surveys indicate that plans for new plant and equipment investment are at a 35-year low, and businesses are hesitant to hire. It all comes back to the drop in consumer spending.”

Alloy Silverstein managing partner Ren Cicalese agrees that times are tough right now.

“Most business owners tell us that things are still slow,” he told NJBIZ, referring to a recent South Jersey survey his firm fielded. “They don’t see turnaround for at least another six months.”

Uncertainty plays a role in stalling a recovery, according to Al Cini, a panelist and the chief executive officer of Computer Methods Corp., a Marlton-based information systems staffing company.

“Business has been tough for the past year,” he said. “Uncertainty over the direction of health care reform has businesses worried about how much it will cost them to hire and keep a worker. The good news is that we’re getting more interest from government clients that still have funding.”

There’s more good news in the wings, Dunkelberg said.

“We may be turning the corner on this recession soon, and when we do there’ll be a lot of pent-up demand,” he said. “I tell people that the best time to start a business is the day before a recession ends, since that’s when you can still get facilities, goods and labor cheaply, and position yourself for the recovery.”

E-mail Martin C. Daks at mdaks@njbiz.com

Since its inception, 190,000 discount cards have been distributed said Annette Catino, chief executive of QualCare, with another run of cards in the planning stages “because we only printed up 200,000 cards.”

The discount cards are not exclusively for those without coverage, Catino said. “Some people have high-deductible plans and are out of pocket for that first dollar they pay for,” she said; the cards can help lower initial payments.

Launched in April 2008, the Rx Savings Card Program offers discounts on prescriptions up to 50 percent, and even higher for certain generic drugs. QualCare collaborated with pharmacy benefits manager Avia Partners, in Phoenix, and the Medical Society of New Jersey to develop the program. The cards are distributed through physicians, acute care hospitals in the state, health centers, home health care agencies and hospices, and religious organizations. Catino said her company is looking for more organizations to team with to distribute the cards.

She said another order of 200,000 discount cards is in the works, and the program may continue beyond. Even if some type of national health insurance reform takes shape, Catino said any changes would still be years away.

“No matter what’s going on with health care reform, we’re not going to see anything implemented in 2009 or 2010,” she said.

Catino said the idea for the discount card program was born from a discussion with Avia, which had started similar programs in California and Arizona. “We thought it was the perfect initiative for us to do cooperatively with the Medical Society of New Jersey,” she said.

She estimates there are 1.2 million residents of the state without health insurance.

Catino said there are no requirements to obtain the discount cards, which do not expire.

E-mail João-Pierre Ruth at jpruth@njbiz.com

Follow me on Twitter @jpruth

Glenn Gladney, chief executive officer of Manalapan-based Access Optical Networks, said he was glad to hear from a White House official that additional stimulus funding would be made available for a broadband initiative.

“I found it be a very effective event,” Gladney said, noting that he had missed an application deadline for the initial round of broadband funding.

Robert Sellers, of Akela Laser Corp., said he was encouraged by a federal increase in fundamental research and development funding. He called the conference “refreshingly straightforward.”

Sellers is particularly concerned with the availability of funding for firms like his South Brunswick business, which has five employees and makes high-power laser diodes for medical and military applications.

“It’s sometimes difficult for us to tap into those channels of funding,” Sellers said.

Holt said his goal is to “stimulate innovation in Central New Jersey in a way that companies can flourish” and benefit residents. He shared Sellers’ concern with funding, particularly for innovative proposals that need additional money to reach commercial success.

“Even when you have a good idea and the long-term numbers work out,” it is hard to find capital, Holt said. He noted that the conference included information on the Small Business Research Grant programs, which focus on the commercialization of innovations.

The group also met with Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Jason Altmire (D-Pa.).

E-mail Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njbiz.com

The Wall-based institution told the FDIC that counterfeit official checks bearing the bank’s name are floating around.

The bogus drafts display the routing number 011007092, which actually belongs to the Bank of New York Mellon, in Everett, Mass. Manasquan Bank said it issues official checks through Moneygram Payment Systems Inc., in Minneapolis, payable through the Bank of New York Mellon. Authentic checks are light blue, according to the FDIC, and Manasquan Savings Bank’s telephone number is displayed below its logo, name and address.

No one at Manasquan Savings was available for comment Thursday afternoon.

E-mail to mdaks@njbiz.com

The company’s board of directors voted to remove Patterson from any and all executive positions with the company and named Frank DelVecchio, senior vice president, as the new CEO.

The company declined to elaborate on the cause of Patterson’s removal.

E-mail João-Pierre Ruth at jpruth@njbiz.com

Follow me on Twitter @jpruth

PowerBuoys use ocean waves to generate electrical power. The contract will go towards providing the Navy with the wave energy technology for testing with sensor and communications systems.

The Navy plans to incorporate the technology into its Littoral Expeditionary Autonomous PowerBuoy program. The LEAP program was launched to provide power at sea for such needs as surveillance near shore and offshore to detect maritime threats.

Subcontractors to Ocean Power for the project include Mikros Systems Corp., in Fort Washington, Pa., and Rutgers University.

E-mail João-Pierre Ruth jpruth@njbiz.com

Follow me on Twitter @jpruth

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